«As soon as news of the explosions broke and it became clear that it was the work of terrorists professing to be carrying out their actions in the name of Islam, it was obvious that Britain’s Asian community would come under attack. While the media talk of a backlash against Muslims because of the events, in reality the events are an excuse for racists to attack any Asians.
(...)
No matter how small an organisation is, its ideas can often resonate well beyond its membership or even its fellow travellers. This is especially the case when there are no other organisations providing more sensible explanations; where there is a political vacuum. That is why the ideas of both small Islamist and small fascist groups influence a considerable number of people outside their membership. In the case of the BNP this is evident from the fact that even in places where it has few members it can often get a reasonable vote.
The BNP has begun to symbolise opposition to a multiracial and multicultural society, while Islamic fundamentalism articulates alienation and disen-chantment with a Western society which its adherents believe discriminates against them. Yet many of the more vocal people who articulate support for these groups might never actually have come into physical contact with them.
It is ironic that these people, who would no doubt consider themselves diametrically opposed to one another, believe in pretty much the same things. Both the Islamists and the fascists believe that Western governments are under the control of Jews through Zionism. They also believe that communism and capitalism are tools with which the Jews control the world. They both disseminate the same texts such as the Russian tsarist forgery The Protocols of the Elders of Zion and The International Jew by the US industrialist Henry Ford. In Britain there are two main sources for these publications, mail order from fascist groups and some Islamic bookshops.
The BNP and Islamist groups also have a symbiotic relationship, their activities fuelling each other. Racism from organisations such as the BNP, high votes for fascists and racist attacks all create a climate in which some young Asians in particular feel that they are victims of, and in conflict with, wider society. In turn, Islamist groups preach that Muslims not only face racism in Britain, but are oppressed across the world, particularly in Palestine and Iraq. Islamist groups encourage their followers not to see themselves as British citizens, but as Muslims first, which is of course exactly how the BNP and other racists want them to be seen. The BNP, for its part, points to the extreme Islamist groups – which declare themselves the true face of Islam – and portrays all Muslims as fanatics, poised at any moment either to attack white youths on the street or to carry out bombings.
Moreover, just as the Iraq war and other perceived injustices across the world have undoubtedly acted as recruiting sergeants for Islamist groups, so we have to accept that the fundamentalist cleric Omar Bakri Mohammed and his ilk are recruiting sergeants for the BNP. His recent comments that the London bombings were the fault of ALL British people were clearly an attempt to cause a hostile reaction among the white population and so deepen the rift between communities. The BNP and other fascist organisations clearly will likewise hope that their own literature will have a similarly provocative effect on the Muslim community.
Yet in between the BNP and the Islamist groups stands the vast majority of white and Asian youth, not members or supporters of any form of hate group.
(...)
Anti-racism has been under sustained attack in Britain for some years now with the politics of “diversity” being used as the main device successfully to undermine it. In the world of diversity faith groups and religion are brought to the fore at the expense of tackling racism head on. This has led to an increase in the polarisation of communities which has manifested itself in an increase in faith-based schools and a general undermining of secular education.»
(Nick Lowles and Steve Silver, Searchlight Magazine)
(...)
No matter how small an organisation is, its ideas can often resonate well beyond its membership or even its fellow travellers. This is especially the case when there are no other organisations providing more sensible explanations; where there is a political vacuum. That is why the ideas of both small Islamist and small fascist groups influence a considerable number of people outside their membership. In the case of the BNP this is evident from the fact that even in places where it has few members it can often get a reasonable vote.
The BNP has begun to symbolise opposition to a multiracial and multicultural society, while Islamic fundamentalism articulates alienation and disen-chantment with a Western society which its adherents believe discriminates against them. Yet many of the more vocal people who articulate support for these groups might never actually have come into physical contact with them.
It is ironic that these people, who would no doubt consider themselves diametrically opposed to one another, believe in pretty much the same things. Both the Islamists and the fascists believe that Western governments are under the control of Jews through Zionism. They also believe that communism and capitalism are tools with which the Jews control the world. They both disseminate the same texts such as the Russian tsarist forgery The Protocols of the Elders of Zion and The International Jew by the US industrialist Henry Ford. In Britain there are two main sources for these publications, mail order from fascist groups and some Islamic bookshops.
The BNP and Islamist groups also have a symbiotic relationship, their activities fuelling each other. Racism from organisations such as the BNP, high votes for fascists and racist attacks all create a climate in which some young Asians in particular feel that they are victims of, and in conflict with, wider society. In turn, Islamist groups preach that Muslims not only face racism in Britain, but are oppressed across the world, particularly in Palestine and Iraq. Islamist groups encourage their followers not to see themselves as British citizens, but as Muslims first, which is of course exactly how the BNP and other racists want them to be seen. The BNP, for its part, points to the extreme Islamist groups – which declare themselves the true face of Islam – and portrays all Muslims as fanatics, poised at any moment either to attack white youths on the street or to carry out bombings.
Moreover, just as the Iraq war and other perceived injustices across the world have undoubtedly acted as recruiting sergeants for Islamist groups, so we have to accept that the fundamentalist cleric Omar Bakri Mohammed and his ilk are recruiting sergeants for the BNP. His recent comments that the London bombings were the fault of ALL British people were clearly an attempt to cause a hostile reaction among the white population and so deepen the rift between communities. The BNP and other fascist organisations clearly will likewise hope that their own literature will have a similarly provocative effect on the Muslim community.
Yet in between the BNP and the Islamist groups stands the vast majority of white and Asian youth, not members or supporters of any form of hate group.
(...)
Anti-racism has been under sustained attack in Britain for some years now with the politics of “diversity” being used as the main device successfully to undermine it. In the world of diversity faith groups and religion are brought to the fore at the expense of tackling racism head on. This has led to an increase in the polarisation of communities which has manifested itself in an increase in faith-based schools and a general undermining of secular education.»
(Nick Lowles and Steve Silver, Searchlight Magazine)
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